Antoine Cason is like four other free agents the Arizona Cardinals signed this offseason, playing on a one-year, $1.5 million deal.

A veteran of five NFL seasons, the 26-year-old is on a "prove it" kind of contract.

"It helps," Cason said of the motivation having to re-establish himself brings. "I'm definitely a motivated guy, confident guy. Take each day and get better and get better and get better; don't just be satisfied with today, but just keep getting better.

"And I will do that."

Cason was originally drafted by the San Diego Chargers with the 27th overall pick in the 2008 draft out of the University of Arizona, where he won the Jim Thorpe Award and was a consensus First-Team All-American as a senior.

A solid pro, Cason has career totals of 12 interceptions and 308 tackles. But the Chargers allowed him to leave as a free agent, and he was unable to land the type of long-term deal afforded to a more established player.

So the California native decided to head to Arizona and join a team that, like him, kind of has to prove itself. Playing in a division with NFC favorites San Francisco and Seattle, not much is really expected of the Cardinals in Bruce Arians' first year on the job.

But that underdog mentality suits Cason just fine.

"I love that," he said. "I'm confident in what I can do and I feel like I get better every time I come out."